NCOHV Grants Awarded

The Nevada Four Wheel Drive Association, for the past two years, has been actively involved in the “rebirth” of the Nevada Commission on Off-Highway Vehicles (NCOHV). We are pleased to present to you the following announcement from the NCOHV, which details the successful completion of the 1st grant cycle. There is enough money left undistributed in the grant fund to accommodate a 2nd grant cycle this year.

There were, if I am correct, a total of fourteen grant applications submitted using the grant guidelines. Several grant applications were dismissed out of hand because they clearly did not enhance OHV recreation in Nevada. Other applications were incomplete and the authors were invited to resubmit their grant applications with all of the information required by the grant guideline handbook. Finally, some grants were not approved because the organizations submitting them had asked for major amounts of money in the application, but had no “track record” to show the commission to support such an award. These applicants were advised to come back in the next grant cycle with a smaller project or equipment request and use this to establish this “track record”.

If your organization is recognized by the Nevada Secretary of State (you are not required to be a federal 501 (c) organization) and are interested in pursuing a OHV-related grant, please go to the NCOHV website, http://www.nvohv.com and download the grant application guide.

Larry

NEVADA COMMISSION ON OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLES ANNOUNCES FIRST ROUND OF FUNDING

On January 14, 2016, the Nevada Commission on Off-Highway Vehicles (“NCOHV”) announced approval of four grant proposals at their regularly scheduled meeting.

The first grant approved was awarded to Partners in Conservation for $133,000. The funds will be used for the removal of a non-functional restroom facility and the construction of a new restroom facility for an OHV area near Logandale, NV. This site is located about 45 minutes outside Las Vegas on BLM land and is one of the most heavily used OHV areas in southern Nevada.

The second grant approval was for $10,000and went to the Nevada Outdoor School, a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Winnemucca, NV. The grant funds will be used to continue educating youth on outdoor ethics and ATV safety in various areas throughout Nevada.

The third grant approved was for $60,000 to the Off-Road Business Association partnering with the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit for the Genoa Peak and Logan House Road Best Management Practice Project. The project will include installation of drainage features and restoration of some areas suffering off-road damage to ensure long-term sustainability of these OHV roads.

The fourth grant approved also went to the Off-Road Business Association in the amount of $36,500 to fund an economic impact study for off-highway vehicle recreation in Nevada. The project is designed to show the financial relevance and importance of off-highway vehicle recreation to the state of Nevada. The funding will develop the best economic data and information on OHV’s significant financial relevance that will assist future policy and legislative activities.

This round of awards capped an 18-month effort by the NCOHV to develop the required regulations necessary to disburse grant funds, and to develop a grant guidebook that met all state and federal guidelines.

It is expected that the NCOHV will award another round of grants beginning in mid-2016.

The NCOHV learned a lot from this process that will apply to the next round of grant-funding. Its success was achieved with the help of many Nevadans and State administrators. The NCOHV expects to do a lot more public outreach to OHV clubs, businesses, and landowners to discover more opportunities for collaboration that will benefit OHV users and the State. Nevada has world-class OHV recreation, and it will be a pleasure to promote this reality.

The NCOHV has already committed $269,000 for law enforcement for 2014 and 2015 in a separate process. Announcement of a 2016 law enforcement award process with anticipated funding of $440,000 is expected within days.

The NCOHV has also approved $50,000 to partner with the Clark County Conservation District’s $150,000 to jointly develop a public education/outreach campaign to promote responsible off-highway vehicle recreation in Clark County and the State. Part of that campaign will develop educational material that will be used throughout the state by law enforcement, landowners, and off-highway vehicle riders.

This open house is a great opportunity for the users and volunteers to voice their opinions on what we want the Tahoe National Forest to do for our OHV trails.

Please take the time to show up or to contact the FS with your thoughts on how you’d like your OHV funds spent. It’s much harder to change the grant after it written so get your comments in early.

NEVADA CITY, Calif. – The U.S. Forest Service is preparing an annual application to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division, to request funding for trail maintenance, restoration, facilities development, law enforcement, and planning for off-highway vehicle (OHV) access.

On Thursday, February 11, 2016, the Forest Service will host an open house from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. for individuals and organizations to provide input and review proposals for the application.

“I encourage anyone interested in the OHV program to drop by this informal open house to discuss their ideas on these proposals. Written comments are most helpful if sent by February 23,” stated Joe Chavez, Tahoe National Forest Trails Program Coordinator.

These annual grants provide important funds for the Forest Service to develop and maintain trails and trailheads, repair winter storm damage and restore trailside environments, plan for OHV trail and facility improvements, as well as provide patrolling and monitoring of these areas. When finalized, the grants will be available for public review and comment on the State of California’s website (http://ohv.parks.ca.gov) from March 8 – April 4, 2016.

What: Open House to discuss off-highway vehicle grant proposals

Where: Tahoe National Forest Headquarters

631 Coyote St., Nevada City, CA 95959

Upstairs conference room (enter from upper parking lot in back of building)

Now we all know that the government is not the best when is comes to efficient use of funds. So, no, not all of the cost of the plate will be used to fund our parks. But some of the money will find its way to the parks budget.

So, show your support of our public lands, specifically one of our good partners who continues to fund our sport. Buy a plate.

So, I sent in my comments about what I think the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) needs to do regarding OHV management. It was ten pages long!

It covered a gamut of topics and suggestions from specific on the ground projects to how to better mange the operation including better (two way) communications.

We as users and volunteers need to speak up. If we fail to give input on how we want OHV managed, the Forest Service (FS) will do what they think is best.

Below is a list of bullet points based on the comments I submitted. There are 100’s of other points of view and suggestions that can be made. I’d love to overwhelm the FS with comments. Please send to the FS what YOU believe is important regarding OHV.

Feel free to use any part of the bullet points below in order to send comments to:

comments-pacificsouthwest-ltbmu@fs.fed.us

Use the subject “LTBMU OHV Input”.

Remember, the LTBMU would like your comments by Jan 15th. Comments received after that will be considered but maybe for next year’s OHV season.